


War and Wonder

by dreamiflame



Series: War and Wonder [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 07:03:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11984664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamiflame/pseuds/dreamiflame
Summary: How James and Diana met, and how, amazingly, Tony didn't ruin it.





	War and Wonder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tielan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/gifts).



> Tielan, this was my first attempt to write you a story for Rare Pairs, but it didn't feel quite right. So I wrote Shock and Awe instead.
> 
> Then I went back and realized it worked as a prequel. I polished it up with some help from my beta, and I hope you enjoy!

The thing was, Rhodey knew this time, possibly this one time only in his entire life, Tony didn’t mean for this to happen. He wasn’t trying to sabotage Rhodey’s chances with the frankly out of his league gorgeous brunette by the bar, but that’s what was happening anyway.

Rhodey had just gone to step up to her, to say hello, when he felt the leg braces freeze.

Just his luck. Instead of getting to say hello and be charming, he was going to fall over onto the woman instead.

“Watch out!” he tried to warn her, figuring it was a futile attempt, but needing to make the effort.

To his considerable surprise, the woman pivoted and _caught him_.

Now, Rhodey didn’t like to think of himself as vain, but he ran around with a high class crew. He was in good shape for a mere mortal over forty, and he knew it, but he also knew he wasn’t light. Especially not with the forty extra pounds of metal and electronics on his legs.

The woman didn’t seem to notice his weight. “Are you all right?” she asked. She sounded just as good as she looked, and yes, _so far_ out of his league.

“Rhodey!” Tony was suddenly _there_ , right up in Rhodey’s space, and now he was putting his hands down Rhodey’s pants. Rhodey closed his eyes for a brief moment, wishing that the younger him had been sensible enough to not get tangled up with hot mess Tony Stark all those years ago.

Okay, technically the leg braces were outside of Rhodey’s pants, but Tony was still being very Tony and not even asking before he started fiddling with the inner mechanics.

“I can fix this,” Tony announced.

“I’m fine,” Rhodey said to the mysterious woman, deciding to pretend Toney wasn’t there, as much as one could when the ignored person was messing around the seat of one’s leg braces. “I meant to have a much smoother entrance.” 

He smiled at the woman, because there seriously was no way this could be a worst first impression, so he might as well go for it and get the being shot down out of the way.

“Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, Air Force,” he said. “Sorry about dropping in on you like this.”

He could see the hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth, and in her eyes. “Diana Prince. My pleasure, Colonel.”

“Got it!” Tony crowed, and Rhodey felt the braces start back up, preparing to do their job again. “Just a loose wire, Rhodey, come see me tomorrow at the repair lab and we’ll fix it for good.”

He took his hands out of Rhodey’s pants and blinked at Diana. “Wow. You are just exquisite. Wait, how are you holding him up?”

Diana gave a small shrug and took her hands away from him as Rhodey stood up under his own power. Well, Tony’s braces’ power.

“How could I do any less, for a wounded hero?” she asked.

Internally, Rhodey winced. Maybe it was Tony’s infectious determination rubbing off on him, but he hated to think of himself as wounded. At least she hadn’t said crippled.

Tony wrapped his arm around Rhodey’s shoulders, and Rhodey braced himself. It was worse than he’d thought, now Tony was going to try to _help_.

Somehow every time he did that, Rhodey ended up either going home alone or needing to get a different woman’s number.

“He is,” Tony agreed, squeezing Rhodey in a hug. “He is a hero, and he’s not going to be wounded for long. I’m still working on the walker version two, buddy. Lighter, stronger, no exposed wires to come loose. You’ll be better than new.”

“Tony,” Rhodey tried.

“And your new suit is nearly finished, too.” Tony talked right over him, like he always did.

“New suit?” Diana asked.

Tony gave her a smug smile, his arm still tight around Rhodey. “He didn’t tell you? This is War Machine.”

Again, Rhodey closed his eyes briefly and prayed for strength. When he opened them, Diana was looking at him, a small smile quirking up her lips.

“Ah,” she said, and the smile got bigger. “One of the Avengers. I hadn’t realized I was at a party with more than one superhero.”

“Believe it, baby,” Tony said, and Rhodey tried to shrug him off. Tony was like a clinging vine, and ignored his efforts. “We’re the best.”

“I’m honored,” Diana said solemnly, and looked away from Tony, smiling directly into Rhodey’s eyes. “Perhaps you’ll let me buy you a drink.”

“It’s a free bar,” Tony broke back into to the conversation. Rhodey was starting to think he was going to have to kill Tony to get him to back off. Sadly, not the first time he’d entertained the idea. “It’s my party, and my bar, and-”

“Mr. Stark?” A blessed, sainted voice interrupted, and Rhodey craned his neck, trying to identify who he was going to be sending an edible fruit arrangement to. “Sir, there’s a problem with Mr. Hogan-”

“Dammit,” Tony said. He let go of Rhodey’s shoulders, and Rhodey tried not to sag in relief. “Duty calls. Ms. Prince, be gentle with him, he’s one of the good ones. Rhodey, you, me, repair lab, tomorrow. Don’t be late!”

And Hurricane Tony was off, reaching for his phone, brushing off people trying to get his attention, and generally being himself. Rhodey let out a sigh.

Tony might be his best friend, but there were so many days he wondered why.

“Now I shall definitely buy you that drink,” Diana said, amusement clear in her voice.

Rhodey summoned up his most charming smile. He had no idea why she hadn’t already fled in terror, horror, or disgust, but he thought it might be the universe trying to balance the karma of losing the ability to walk unassisted.

“That sounds good,” he said. “Tony can be a little-”

“Overwhelming?” Diana supplied, and laughed when Rhodey shuddered and nodded.

“I know a few people like that,” she said, and ordered him a whiskey and water without Rhodey having to tell her. “If it is not too painful, how did you get hurt?”

Inwardly, Rhodey winced, and covered the expression with his glass, taking a long, slow sip. “It is painful,” he admitted.

“Then forget I asked,” Diana said, and sipped at something light colored and bubbly. No doubt one of Tony’s fabulously expensive champagnes. “What should we talk about instead?”

“Where are you from?” Rhodey asked. “I’ve been trying to place your accent.”

Diana smiled, but there was a shadow at the back of it. “A small Greek island you’ve never heard of,” she said easily. “I’m told my accent is fairly unplaceable, even for other Greeks.”

“It’s beautiful,” Rhodey said, sincere but wishing he’d managed something a little more smooth. “I’m from Philly.”

Diana nodded, like he’d told her something interesting. “I’ve heard it’s nice there.”

And somehow that became his cue to tell Diana all about growing up in Southern Philadelphia, joining the Air Force, winning his grad school placement, and then running into Tony at MIT. A louder, brasher, not as polished Tony, still learning to be the man he was now. Rhodey threw back the last of his drink.

“I have seen how he cares for you,” Diana said, and her voice was soft. “He is loud, and full of hot air, but there is true feeling behind his actions. He loves you, and he feels guilt for how you were hurt.”

Had anyone else ever looked at Tony and seen through him quite the way this woman had? Rhodey didn’t think so.

“Yeah,” he said, and gestures to the bartender. “I keep telling him it wasn’t his fault, but Tony’s always thrown himself into extremes. Before, he wanted to build the best weapons to rule the world. Now he’s obsessed with saving it.”

“I’ve known others like that,” Diana said, and touched his arm. “But I would much rather hear about James Rhodes.”

“Sure,” he managed to say, giving her another smile. “But only if you tell me more about Diana Prince.”

They talked for hours, until the sun was coloring the horizon, and the bartender had long ago abandoned them to head home. Rhodey walked her out of the building and handed her into a waiting Uber.

“Call me,” she said, pressing a business card into his hand before she left.

Rhodey punched the air in triumph, earning a laugh from an early morning jogger.

And that was how Rhodey started dating one of the hottest women on the planet, in his admittedly not that objective opinion.


End file.
